Conventional rechargeable battery packs include Li-Ion battery cells. Due to the nature of the chemistry of these battery packs, the United States and many other countries and international bodies, including the United Nations, have implemented special rules directed to the shipping of Li-Ion batteries. If a battery or battery pack exceeds these limits there are additional fees and shipping costs for shipping the battery pack. As such, there is an interest in keeping the Watt-hour levels below the 100 Wh limits. Today, it is common for Li-Ion batteries already exceed these limits. As battery power and capacity increases it will become more common for batteries to exceed these limits. As such, there is a great desire to keep the battery packs below these limits.
Typically, shipping regulations pose limitations how much energy is disposed in a battery pack. For example, some regulations require that each cell have an energy equal to or less than 20 Watt-hours, and that each battery pack has an energy limit equal to or less than 100 Watt-hours. It is preferable to provide a solution that can maximize the energy available to the end user while complying with shipping regulations. Preferably, a temporary separator could be used to separate components of the battery pack, thus opening the battery pack circuit, limiting the energy output.